Handsome Devil

Writer-director John Butler's Irish film is set at a rugby-mad, homophobic boarding school for boys, where Ned (Fionn O'Shea)—a slight, ginger-topped, music-loving misfit—suffers daily humiliations at the hands of bullies. Things only seem to get worse after he acquires a roommate, Conor (Nicholas Galitzine), a laconic transfer student who is quickly assimilated into the rugby squad under the brutal gaze of their coach (Moe Dunford). Despite his exceptional talent on the field, Conor is no cookie-cutter athlete. Melancholy and alone, Conor exists in a forced remoteness from Ned, with a tall border erected in their shared room. But walls, real and figurative, eventually break down, and the two outsiders form an unlikely friendship, bonding over performing music—a pursuit encouraged by a sympathetic and wise English teacher who is wonderfully played by Andrew Scott (Sherlock's Moriarty). While the sexual identities of Ned and Conor are certainly ambiguous, this is not a story of romance—in or out of the shadows—but rather more about transcending foolish categories that ignore human complexity. Recommended. (T. Keogh)